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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: firm · track · content · band · cold · arm · cap · lie

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. cap — a hat
  3. track — to keep track
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. cold — an illness
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. track — a song
  10. firm — steady
  11. content — happy
  12. band — a ring
  13. track — a path
  14. cap — a lid
  15. band — a music group
  16. firm — decided
  17. cold — not warm
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. firm — a company
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. content — the amount

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com